Apollo
Apollo is Zeus' oldest son and takes after his father in many ways. Apollo is a lover and fighter in equal measure. His fighter's instincts are never more apparent than when his twin sister Artemis is threatened or slighted. Usually level-headed, at least compared to most other divine beings, Apollo has an intense hatred of heretics and cannot abide blasphemers, often punishing them harshly. In contrast, Apollo is one of the most benevolent gods to the devout worshippers, making certain to attend festivals and answer summons when sufficient worship is given. History Early Life Apollo is the third born child and first son of our king, Zeus. Born immediately after his twin sister, Artemis, Apollo has been one of the most important figures in the Olympian pantheon’s long reign. Though he was born from Leto and not from Hera, denying him the title of prince, Apollo is considered by many to be the true son of Zeus and taking one look at him it is easy to see why. As Zeus' power grew with the spread of his legend, he began spending less time with his children and lover; and spending more time in the field, storytelling as he once did but now with the intent to spread his own legend. This did not sit well with Artemis and compelled her to begin training with weapons so that she might ease her father's concerns and be allowed to join him on his journeys. Not eager to let her do something like this on her own, Apollo agreed to train with Artemis and the two became accomplished archers and warriors, using their superior physique to surpass the skills of every one of their mentors and trainers. When Zeus' powers had grown able to rival a Titan's, Zeus decided to make a strategic strike against the Titans. As Apollo and Artemis were now grown themselves, Zeus decided to recruit them and a small force of key allies on a mission to break into Tartarus. Though their primary mission was to free Zeus' wife Metis, they discovered that she was unable to leave Tartarus due to her nymph physiology having grown too weak being deprived of nature and having absorbed too much of the prison dimension's unique necrotic essence. This devastated Zeus, even though he was still able to free his three spirit sisters and two spirit brothers. Zeus was resigned to stay in Tartarus with Metis, even though her immortality had long since extinguished and she was unlikely to remain among the living long, but Metis did manage to coerce Zeus into fleeing from the prison by pleading with him to take their daughter and afford her the opportunities that Tartarus had deprived her of all these years. This daughter was Athena, the true firstborn child of Zeus. While Zeus was convinced to leave Metis to her fate in the otherworldly prison because of Athena, the introduction of this estranged daughter further caused a divide in the relationship of Zeus and his other daughter, Artemis, and this divide would only grow further in the years to come. As the gods built their power up, the godlings Athena, Artemis, and Apollo mastered their innate abilities. Also during this time, Zeus married Hera and the pair had two children, Ares and Hephaestus. This again soured the relationship of Artemis and her father. Artemis felt that by marrying Hera, Zeus had spurned her mother, Leto. Apollo tried to smooth things over, but Artemis did not want to hear it and she withdrew into the wilderness to be by herself. Being immortal, the gods used time to their advantage, training in secret and biding their time. They had a few skirmishes with the Titans and would relocate their camp from time to time to prevent capture. On rare occasion, the godlings (now joined by Ares, Hephaestus, and their cousins Triton and Persephone) would become overeager and engage in guerrilla warfare with the Titans. In his youth, Apollo was interested in animal husbandry just as his sister was invested in wildlife. While investigating the theft of one of his herds, Apollo discovered that Hermes was thief and to apologize, Hermes made Apollo a musical instrument. Apollo forgave his half-brother and when the time came, Apollo let Hermes rule as God of Herds and Shepherds in favor of pursuing stewardship over music, poetry, and other arts. Rise of the New Gods While helping the gods overthrow the Titans, Apollo and his sister Artemis conquered the Titans of the sky. The Titan Hyperion swore eternal fealty to Apollo, giving the god his bow. Though Apollo spared the Titan, he ordered Hyperion to tear himself asunder into several lesser beings, which became the Heliosi (or Sunriders), the personal servants of Apollo. Later, Apollo was sent to conquer the dragon serpent Python. The creature had long terrorized the enclave at Delphi and upon vanquishing the beast, the strange people of Delphi honored the god by adapting his worship into their small sect. Through this Apollo discovered that people of Delphi had drawn the hungry serpent to them as they were the stewards of the Essence of Prophecy. Rather than take the Essence for himself, Apollo instead chose to give that power to one among their order and in so doing, created the sacred tradition and position of the prophetic Oracle. Apollo followed in his father's footsteps and consorted with many, including Koronis, the mother of his son Asclepius. Koronis was later killed by Artemis when she discovered Koronis has been with another. Similarly, Apollo discovered that Artemis' lover, Orion, had an ulterior motive. Orion was actually the essence-enriched lover of Eos, an exalted servant of the Titan Theia, the very Titan which Artemis herself had defeated during the usurpation. Realizing that Apollo had discovered this, Orion threw Apollo through a dimensional gate and then fled, taking Artemis' bow with him. When Apollo alerted Zeus to this, he called for his best tracker personally lead the hunting party to capture Orion. Of course, Artemis declared herself to be the best tracker in the land and demanded to be the one to right this wrong. Apollo insisted he be allowed to accompany her so that Artemis herself would not be forced to kill the man she had loved, but Zeus gave in to Artemis' own rage-fueled insistence and gave a decree that she be the one to deliver the fatal blow. Orion was a skilled huntsman, but he was easy prey for the Goddess of the Hunt, who pried her stolen bow from his corpse's fingers after shooting him with an arrow delivered by Apollo's borrowed bow. Afterward, the twins then paid a visit to his mistress Eos and brought her to Tartarus to be reunited with her Titanic benefactor. Following what happened with Orion, Artemis sank into despair. She hated Zeus even more, blaming him for not listening to Apollo and letting her brother deliver the fatal blow. She felt that this was proof that her father no longer loved her. Becoming more reclusive, Artemis began to ignore calls to attend meetings of the Twelve and isolated herself in the wilds, accompanied only by her closest nymph companions. After Artemis healed from this and began a relationship with Callisto, Apollo convinced his father to throw a festival to celebrate Artemis' official return, where she brought Callisto as her companion. While the two were away from one another, mingling with the different gods and mortals in attendance, Zeus encountered Callisto and the fetching nymph caught his eye. Callisto and Zeus slipped away from the festival to pursue private festivities, unaware Hera making notice of their interactions. Apollo would later tell the tale that Hera had transformed Callisto into a bear and tricked Artemis into killing her, but in truth all Hera did was whisper in Artemis' ear that her father was engaged with her lover. That is all it took to throw Artemis into a rage so fierce that she grabbed her bow and ran into the wilderness to find them. Apollo had got there in time to see Artemis poised to fire her arrow into their drunken father as he stumbled away from the post-coital rendezvous. Apollo called out her name to tell her not to do it, but she loosed the arrow anyway. Apollo's cries may not have fazed Artemis and Zeus was too drunk to notice, but Callisto did notice and threw herself into the line of fire. Apollo rushed in to lend aid, but the arrow was tipped with adamant and pierced the nymph's heart. Artemis screamed at Callisto, demanding to know why she did what she did and her last words were "I didn't do it to spare Zeus… I did it to spare you the pain of shooting your father…" and then she passed away. With Callisto dead, Artemis wanted someone to pay. Yet, she had no one to blame but herself. It was her hand that had killed Callisto and though she wanted to make Zeus or Hera suffer for their part in Callisto's death, Apollo convinced her to refrain. Zeus was too drunk to realize what he had done and it had never been his intent to hurt Artemis, having not realized that Artemis and Callisto were lovers; and Apollo's spin on the story had already cast the blame on Hera in a much more damning way than the truth would have. These were ancient memories. While not from another lifetime, they were from another world. So much had changed, and yet, Artemis still held a grudge. When the word of the fabricated story reached Zeus' ears and he learned of his part in the events that night, he summoned his twin children before him. Zeus asked Artemis how he could make this right and though it went contrary to what she and Apollo had agreed upon earlier, Artemis demanded that Zeus order Callisto's soul to be reincarnated. Zeus asked for time to consider this request. When Artemis refused to listen to Apollo's demands that she retract what she had asked of father, Apollo did what he never thought he would ever do. He conspired with Hera. Apollo's fabricated legend had the unintentional effect of painting Hera as more powerful that she truly was. This had resulted in a spike in her received worship and she liked it. Apollo knew this and offered to spin more tales for her among the mortals to increase the power of her cult. Hera did like the sound of this and so she asked Apollo what he wanted in return. Apollo asked her to challenge Artemis' request. Hera asked why he wanted her to do such a thing and Apollo was blunt in his words, reminding her that is none of her concern. Blunt words aside, Hera agreed to his terms. She weaved her own tale of deception with Zeus, somehow convincing him that if Callisto were to be reincarnated, she would be a threat to the pantheon. Considering his options, Zeus apologized to Artemis and refused her request, even though it hurt him dearly to do so. Both in spirit and in the flesh, as an angry Artemis kicked him into the Empyrean flame, burning his backside and leaving a scar that lasted years. Still, Artemis' rage grew. On more than one occasion, she attempted to steal Callisto's soul from the Underworld. Sometimes Apollo had managed to convince her to abandon her course, sometimes it was Hades that managed to do so. Once it took Cerberus nearly mauling her to death to cause her to surrender. But after decades, she would eventually return to that foolish endeavor, until just prior to the departure of Earth, she managed to pull it off and free Callisto's soul to the reincarnation cycle; even if Artemis herself was captured before she could escape. Artemis spent her final days on Earth in Tartarus, wondering what form Callisto would take in her next life. Zeus eventually pardoned her, needing her skills for the conquest of Elysium, but he warned her to not let her search for Callisto distract her from her duties. Elysium In Elysium, Apollo is worshipped everywhere and he is a common sight among its populations, visiting cities and small rural hamlets alike. Though Apollo often lets the Sunriders carry the suns across the sky for him, Apollo still performs the sacred duty himself many times every year. When not flirting the Muses, Apollo is often found attending musical performances or poetry readings. But can also be found just as often joining Hades on a wild hunt, drinking with Hermes and Dionysus, or hunting alongside his twin sister. There is a famous, common expression on Elysium: “Apollo has many eternal friends, but his enemies are always short-lived.” Role in NeOlympus Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Seven Abilities God: '''The son of Zeus and the titanspawn Leto. Apollo is also the twin brother of Artemis. The twin gods share a metaphysical bond. '''Plaguebringer: '''By decree of the Quorum of Six, Apollo is the god ordained to punish a wicked locale or to control population growth. Though Apollo fulfills this role with a strong sense of duty, he takes no pleasure in it. '''God of Music and Poetry: '''Having inheritied a portion of his father’s charismatic essence, Apollo has shaped this talent into a remarkable talent for the heard arts. As a result of this entitlement, Apollo knows the intricate details for all musical arrangements, songs, and poems. Apollo can also assess the artistic ability of any musician, singer, or poet he encounters, even if they are merely an amateur or pursue such as a mere hobby. '''God of Truth and Prophecy: '''Apollo’s finely-tuned ear knows whenever he hears a lie and his eyes cannot be fooled by illusion or disguise. With concentration, Apollo can ever dispel such deception or compel a mortal to speak candidly. Apollo is also the patron of Delphi and its famed Oracle. As a result of this, Apollo has unrestricted access to Delphi’s Archives of Prophecy and is widely venerated at all Olympian temples of Elysium. '''Goddess of the Suns: '''As the son of Leto, Apollo had an innate connection to the celestial bodies of Earth and after an adjustment period, his affinity shifted to the moons and stars in Elysium’s sky. As a result of this affinity, Apollo is the steward of the stars of Elysium and has oversight of the Sunriders and their Solar Steeds. ' '''God of Light: '''As an extension of his role as a Sun God, Apollo may endow objects with the pure light essence, making them able to dispel ghosts and slay the undead. Most often, Apollo endows his arrows in this manner. '''Rider of the' Solar Chariot: 'As the God of the twin Suns of Elysium, Apollo is entitled to this remarkable relic, which flies through the sky at incredible speeds by night and at the speed of thought by day.. Relationships Like his father, Apollo has had too many romantic conquests to list. [[Zeus|'Zeus]]: There is an expression among the Elysians, one that is best not said near Hera, that "while Ares and Hephaestus are the Princes of Olympus, Zeus' only true sons are Apollo and Hermes." This expression comes from the fact they have their father's carefree attitude and charm (Hermes even more so than Apollo). Hermes is Zeus' messenger, often going on errands for his father, while Apollo takes after Zeus in most ways. [[Artemis|'Artemis']]: Apollo's twin sister, the two share an intimate relationship and consider one another there other half. They protect one another no matter the cost and find comfort in one another in multiple ways. Koronis: 'The mother of his son, Koronis was killed by Artemis when Artemis learned that Koronis had been having an affair with another. 'Hermes: While investigating the theft of one of his herds, Apollo discovered that Hermes was thief and to apologize, Hermes made Apollo a musical instrument. Apollo forgave his half-brother and when the time came, Apollo let Hermes rule as God of Herds and Shepherds in favor of pursuing stewardship over music, poetry, and other arts. Trivia * There is an expression among the Elysians, one that is best not said near Hera, that "while Ares and Hephaestus are the Princes of Olympus, Zeus' only true sons are Apollo and Hermes." This expression comes from the fact they have their father's carefree attitude and charm (Hermes even more so than Apollo). Hermes is Zeus' messenger, often going on errands for his father, while Apollo takes after Zeus in most ways. * There are hints that Apollo is not the 'white knight' he can be portrayed as in some myths, for instance he is not above having his Heliades (Sunriders) 'manhandle' his sister Artemis. * Apollo typically has affairs with Nymphs and mortals. * Like the rest of the Gods, Apollo does not have a set sexuality. He does, however, seem to have a preference for women. * In Mythology, Koronis (or Coronis) was one of Apollo's lovers. While Apollo was away, Coronis, already pregnant with Asclepius, fell in love with Ischys, son of Elatus. A white raven which Apollo had left to guard her informed him of the affair and Apollo, enraged that the bird had not pecked out Ischys' eyes as soon as he approached Coronis, flung a curse upon it so furious that it scorched its feathers, which is why all ravens are black. Apollo sent his sister, Artemis, to kill Coronis because he could not bring himself to. Afterward Apollo, feeling dejected, only regained his presence of mind when Coronis' body was already aflame on a funeral pyre. Upon a sign from Apollo, Hermes cut the unborn child out of her womb and gave it to the centaur Chiron to raise. Hermes then brought her soul to Tartarus. Category:Olympians Category:Principal Pantheon Category:Gods Category:Children of Zeus